I saw the guy being put into the truck on Saturday, and he looked surprisingly good for an 80' fall - the ranger I talked to said he "probably broke everything", though. That sucks, but it didn't appear life-threatening.

I saw the guy being put into the truck on Saturday, and he looked surprisingly good for an 80' fall - the ranger I talked to said he "probably broke everything", though. That sucks, but it didn't appear life-threatening.

Any report on how it happened?

Wow.. that's a big fall. I was near there a few years ago when there was a guy who feel 50 feet or so near Middle Earth. He was offroute way off to the left on a 5.9 and was very runout.

Do you know what happened? How did he have such a long fall? Did gear pull? What route was he on?

This was posted on Gunks.com

alicex4 Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 07/05/00 Posts: 3377 Yep, he fell from the top of the first pitch, at the anchor tree. Fell 100 ft and landed on his feet. Busted femur, and maybe some ankle issues and maybe a hip injury. Apparently some miscommunication between leader and belayer. We were about 20 ft away when we heard the fall.

Do you know what happened? How did he have such a long fall? Did gear pull? What route was he on?

This was posted on Gunks.com

alicex4 Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 07/05/00 Posts: 3377 Yep, he fell from the top of the first pitch, at the anchor tree. Fell 100 ft and landed on his feet. Busted femur, and maybe some ankle issues and maybe a hip injury. Apparently some miscommunication between leader and belayer. We were about 20 ft away when we heard the fall.

wow, that's a lot of miscommunication. sounds as if maybe the belayor took the climber off belay when he wasn't ready to be taken off.

You know the gunks; it's noisy, crowded and I would think that it would be very easy to make that mistake!

Hope you are well Greg...

HOpe Steve recovers quickly and that his partner does too.

yup, i can see that mistake being made in the 'Gunks for sure. P1 of Middle Earth seems an odd place for that to happen, though, as there is a clear visual line between the tree and the ground, but yeah, there are a lot of climbs in that area and ME is definitely a crowded route.

I'm well and I hope work isn't bogging you down too much. It looks as if I'll be in the 'Gunks for the final time this season the weekend of Oct 15 if you're around.

i was hoping to find out what exactly happened on sat, as we heard the sirens, saw the helicopter, etc... but i am just sick to hear this. most importantly i am relieved to hear that the climber will recover from his injuries. i wanted to add what i witnessed...note- i do not know the details of what actually happened in the accident and who the climber and belayer were (though it seems certain that it was the same group).

IF this is in fact the group i think it was, then autoxfil- my partner and i were rapping down madame g's just before you on sat morning. as we came down the rappel route we found they had a TR setup through the chains and a woman was climbing on it...bit of a mess there, and once we reached the ground i mentioned to them the problems w the situation etc. the climber belaying seemed like a really nice guy and immediately agreed that his friend was mistaken in setting up on the rap chains and proceeded to climb up to remove the TR w/ the woman in the party belaying. i started reracking but quickly noticed that she did NOT know how to belay properly as she kept taking her hand of of the brake end and holding the other end. before i could say anything another guy from their group ran over to correct her mistake and give what seemed to me like a basic belay lesson as she belayed the guy up the route. it really made me nervous bc even as he was guiding her through the technique she kept saying that it didnt feel natural and the motion felt awkward. to an observer it was obvious that she did not feel confident in what she was doing. there also seemed to be some confusion once he cleaned the gear bc he didnt have a rap device w him and they were sending one up or then he was going to just lower?...there was also a young boy with the group. my partner and i started up a nearby climb and a little while later heard the sirens and saw the rangers driving down carriage road w the litter.

the terrifying thing is that this was only one of three absolutely unsafe scenarios we encountered that day!! in speaking w/ friends later in the wknd i kept mentioning this scenario at the guides wall and how i can never understand why someone would agree to belay if they were not 100% comfortable in the technique; and also, why a climber would put his or her life in the hands of an inexperienced belayer. what i am describing i just the situation i encountered that morning, and i do not know the details of what actually happened in the accident and who the climber and belayer were (though it seems certain that it was the same group). i just hope that all parties involved in this accident will recover mentally and physically, and that some lesson is learned.

Registered: 10/04/10 Posts: 1 Loc: CT I talked to Steve last night at the hospital and he his doing OK. He had surgery Sunday morning for his broken leg and he reports it went well. Main thing is, besided some scapes and bruisers there where no other injuries. He sends his thanks to everyone who helped out and I'm sure he will respond here himself shortley.

Steve is one lucky guy. I think that very few people survive a 60 foot fall.

well that is great news that the climber is already on his way to recovery! He sure is a lucky guy, given the fall he took! Steve, best wishes to you in your recovery as well as all those in your group that day.

Registered: 10/04/10 Posts: 1 Loc: CT I talked to Steve last night at the hospital and he his doing OK. He had surgery Sunday morning for his broken leg and he reports it went well. Main thing is, besided some scapes and bruisers there where no other injuries. He sends his thanks to everyone who helped out and I'm sure he will respond here himself shortley.

Steve is one lucky guy. I think that very few people survive a 60 foot fall.

Steve, I hope you recover quickly. I hope your belayer does too.

So we are no closer to understanding what happened here. If the belayer was sketchy a backup belay would have helped. Not sure what exactly went down here. It will be interesting to see if we can get some facts.

So we are no closer to understanding what happened here. If the belayer was sketchy a backup belay would have helped. Not sure what exactly went down here. It will be interesting to see if we can get some facts.

According to a report, the climber set up a top rope, leaned back and expected to be lowered. Unfortunately, he wasn't on belay.

Registered: 05/26/09 Posts: 18 The info I got was that he thought his belayer was going to lower him, and that he weighted the rope without asking if he was on belay, which he wasn't.

That would sum it up. I guess those belay signals are useful after all...

Or else he could have taken the simple precaution of maintaining a direct connection to the anchor until he had tested the belay by weighting it. Takes two seconds and makes this sort of accident much less likely.

Registered: 05/26/09 Posts: 18 The info I got was that he thought his belayer was going to lower him, and that he weighted the rope without asking if he was on belay, which he wasn't.

That would sum it up. I guess those belay signals are useful after all...

Or else he could have taken the simple precaution of maintaining a direct connection to the anchor until he had tested the belay by weighting it. Takes two seconds and makes this sort of accident much less likely.

i started reracking but quickly noticed that she did NOT know how to belay properly as she kept taking her hand of of the brake end and holding the other end. before i could say anything another guy from their group ran over to correct her mistake and give what seemed to me like a basic belay lesson as she belayed the guy up the route. it really made me nervous bc even as he was guiding her through the technique she kept saying that it didnt feel natural and the motion felt awkward. to an observer it was obvious that she did not feel confident in what she was doing. there also seemed to be some confusion once he cleaned the gear bc he didnt have a rap device w him and they were sending one up or then he was going to just lower?...

I'm not doubting your account or anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't even the same group. this crap happens so frequently.

one habit that might help (which certainly isn't a substitute for clear communication) is to grab the rope from the side that is coming from the belayer, and slowly weight the rope until you feel the belayer locking you off.

Steve is one lucky guy. I think that very few people survive a 60 foot fall.

Steve, I hope you recover quickly. I hope your belayer does too.

This is all 3rd person account, but friends who witnessed the accident, said the slabby nature of the wall created much friction and slowed down the fall. My partner and I were on the Arrow wall and heard the fall - the thud came distinctly delayed after the initial scream.

So we are no closer to understanding what happened here. If the belayer was sketchy a backup belay would have helped. Not sure what exactly went down here. It will be interesting to see if we can get some facts.

According to a report, the climber set up a top rope, leaned back and expected to be lowered. Unfortunately, he wasn't on belay.

I got a lot of flack for posting this in another thread, but this would prevent 100% of these type of accidents:

jt512 wrote:

[Y]ou shouldn't rely on a verbal "got" from your belayer. Rather, before lowering, you should grab the belayer's side of the rope with both hands. Then, after getting the verbal "got," gradually settle onto the rope, not letting go until you're certain that your belayer actually does have you.